Final Fantasy Awakening
| publisher = Perfect World | series = | platforms = | engine = Unity | released = iOS, Android Microsoft Windows | genre = Role-playing | modes = Multiplayer }} Final Fantasy Awakening }} is a multiplayer action role-playing game developed by Perfect World and published by Square Enix for iOS, Android, and Microsoft Windows. It was first released in China for iOS and Android devices in December 2016, with releases in other languages including English over the following two years. The game is set in the universe of Final Fantasy Type-0, forming part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries. Acting as a replacement to Final Fantasy Agito, the game features multiplayer hack-and-slash gameplay. Planning for the title began in 2014 after it became clear that the online elements of Agito could not be developed further due to technical difficulties. The game is being overseen by staff from Agito, while the main development is handled by Perfect World, who were chosen due to their good track record for domestic and international online games. First announced at the 2015 Tokyo Game Show, its first beta test opened in mainland China in April 2016. It met with commercial success in China, achieving two million downloads within its month of release. Overview Gameplay Final Fantasy Awakening is focused around multiplayer gameplay similar to the multiplayer functions of Final Fantasy Type-0, but with a more evolved system and hack-and-slash style gameplay. The game will use a free-to-play purchase model: while the base game is free, optional items can be purchased by the player for cash. Synopsis Awakening takes place in Orience, a world divided between four warring nations. It is referred to as a "parallel world" to that of the original Type-0. Similar to Type-0 and Agito, the world is locked in a repeating spiral of history, with Awakening being an iteration of that history. Development and release Planning for Awakening began in November 2014, with full development starting at the beginning of 2015. The game was designed as a successor to Final Fantasy Agito, which had hit insurmountable technical barriers which stopped further development of its online functions. Type-0 Online, as it was called, was co-developed by Square Enix and Chinese online game developer Perfect World. While Perfect World handled primary development, the original staff of Agito supervised the project. Perfect World was chosen as they had extensive experience with domestic and international online games. After Agito shut down, the development team transferred over to work on Awakening. Over 100 staff at Perfect World were attached to the game's development for more than a year. Development went on for longer than anticipated, although it progressed smoothly when it neared its first open beta. It was built upon the Unity game engine. It was first hinted with the announcement that Agito was shutting down in November 2015. The company stated that a "reborn" version of Agito would be shown off at the 2015 Tokyo Game Show. The game was announced at that event under the provisional title Final Fantasy Type-0 Online, along with its release window and that players of Agito would receive an unspecified "favor" if they chose to play Awakening. A beta test was scheduled for Chinese territories in the winter of 2015. The first beta test ended up starting in mid-April 2016. When it was first announced, a localization for Europe and North America was under consideration. At the 2015 AWS Summit Tokyo, the open beta for Japan was announced for June, with releases following in Japan, North America and Europe. Its first playable appearance was at the 2016 ChinaJoy Expo. It was also stated at the event that Perfect World would act as the game's publishers in Asian territories outside Japan. In October 2016, it was announced that the game would be renamed Final Fantasy Awakening, releasing under that name in China. The game became available for general download in China on December 14, 2016. The game was released in Indonesia as Final Fantasy Awakening on August 15, 2017 by Efun Company Limited. A South Korean release came through FL Studio Mobile on October 17, 2017. Later, Hong Kong-based company Oasis Games officially licensed the game for an English-language release in Australia, New Zealand, and other territories in 2018. First releasing for Android in those regions on January 30, a release for iOS came out on February 26. . A soft launch went live in North America on February 2, 2018 for Android and February 26 for iOS. Reception On the day of its release in China, Awakening achieved 500,000 downloads, coming in at #5 in the best-selling mobile games in China at the time. By the end of December, downloads had reached two million. Following its English release on Android, the game achieved 137,000 downloads. Notes References }} External links * Category:Action role-playing video games Category:Android (operating system) games Category:Final Fantasy video games Category:IOS games Category:2016 video games Category:Windows games Category:Windows Phone games Category:Role-playing video games Category:Video games developed in the People's Republic of China